A Waynesville High School graduate is being spotlighted in a feature news story released earlier this week by the U. S. Navy Office of Community Outreach

A Waynesville High School graduate is being spotlighted in a feature news story released earlier this week by the U. S. Navy Office of Community Outreach.
Petty Officer 1st Class Taiese Gaono, a 2010 graduate from Waynesville High, joined the Navy 11 years ago, and now serves aboard one of the country’s most versatile combat ships, USS St. Louis, operating out of Mayport, Florida. “I joined the Navy to start a career, to better myself, and to be a part of something bigger in life,” said Gaono.
Today, Gaono relies upon skills and values similar to those found in Waynesville to succeed in the military. “In my younger years I thought I knew everything,” said Gaono. “As I have grown, I eventually found out how much I didn’t know.” These lessons have helped Gaono while serving in the Navy. USS St. Louis is a fast, optimally-manned, mission-tailored surface combatant that operates in near-shore and open-ocean environments. Littoral combat ships integrate with joint, combined, manned, and unmanned teams to support forward presence, maritime security, sea control, and deterrence missions around the globe. According to Navy officials, the path to becoming an LCS sailor is unique and challenging. The culmination of their 18-month training pipeline, sailors qualify on a virtual reality simulator that is nearly identical to the ship. This intense and realistic training pipeline allows sailors to execute their roles and responsibilities immediately upon stepping on board. Serving in the Navy means Gaono is part of a team that is taking on new importance in America’s focus on strengthening alliances, modernizing capabilities, increasing capacities, and maintaining military readiness in support of the National Defense Strategy. “The Navy is important to national defense because we ensure maritime dominance around the globe,” said Gaono.
As Gaono and other sailors continue to train and perform missions, they take pride in serving their country in the United States Navy. “To me, serving in the Navy gives people of America a fighting chance who can’t protect themselves,” said Gaono.